When all is said and done, the Toy Story franchise should be buried in a time capsule along with a battery-less Rolex, because, quite frankly, they’re both beautifully timeless.

When it comes to popular family classics like The Muppet Movie, The Lion King, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Babe, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, it’s understandable that some of them will have aged - looks-wise, anyway. The Muppets don’t look quite as snazzy as Shrek (and it’s pretty clearly visible that, when Gonzo takes off on a balloon mid-way through The Muppet Movie, he’s hanging onto a string, right?); The Stay Puft Marshmallow man in Ghostbusters. though still lots of fun, does look less and less spectacular by the day (largely due to the blue-screen work); and in this day and age of unbelievably beautiful-looking CGI films, classic 2D hand drawn films like The Lion King and Snow White won’t possibly look as mesmerizing to the youngsters (I know my two-year-old won’t sit through, sadly enough, an animated movie - it has to be computer animated to hold her interest). But looks aside, those films still trump most of the family films they released today, and they’ve have had such long lives for a reason - and it’s nothing (well it is, but not entirely) to do with effects, puppetry or good voice work, nope, the reason a film like Willy Wonka or Back to the Future still work as well now as they did then (in 1971 and 1985, respectively) is because of the mesmerizing storytelling - they’re fantastic yarns. All of them. Within ten minutes of watching any of the aforementioned flicks, the viewer no longer sees the strings on the puppets or the blur beneath the land speeder because, quite simply, they’re taken with the story - those magnificent stories. These are stories that aren’t of a particular place or time, they’re simply exciting, entertaining and, in a lot of cases, relatable to all - including, a kid in 1985 and a kid in 2010.

In twenty years time, when Toy Story (1995), like say, Willy Wonka, starts to, well, look it’s age - it’s not going to hurt the film one bit. Why? because nobody’ll be watching it for the then state-of-the-art special effects (though I bet it’ll still look a lot better than we might think - the computer animation is pretty superb), no, they’ll be watching it for its touching, plausible and common message - or messages, such as the importance of friendship, courage, and, in the case of the long-awaited Toy Story 3, growing up and change - and it’s effortless ability to remind everyone, particularly those who may have forgotten, what it was like to be a child.

A magnificent and super-sweet yarn combined with lovable characters, sweet songs, and great voice-work, the Toy Story films have earned their place on that best film series of all time list. And unlike many sequels, they get better with each one!

Toy Story 3 is just as good, if not better than its predecessors. It’s got it all - laughs (lots of ‘em!), adventure, thrills, romance (You can’t have Ken and Barbie and not have some romance!), drama, and one very, very, sweet (and I know the audience I saw the film with earlier today will agree to this) ending that’ll have most digging through your handbag for any spare tissue.

Andy, the owner of the lively bunch of Toys (Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Rex, Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Slinky, Ham - and so on) at the centre of the first two films, is all grown-up - and off to college. But before he leaves, his mother wants him to either donate his once-beloved toys or throw them in the trash. Though Andy’s plan was to bury the toys in the attic (so he could hang onto them), one thing leads to another and the gang end up at a Daycare centre, Sunnyside.

Upon first glance, Sunnyside looks great - and it’s seemingly occupied by hordes of other, friendly toys (This is where Barbie meets her Ken) and attending children! Bonus! But when the doors open for business, our heroes quickly learn they’re not in for a good time - the toddlers  are quick to dismantle them, cover them in paint and other goo, shove them into their mouths, and just basically treat them like, well, most two-year-olds would. The toys in the adjacent room, in particular the mean-spirited Lotso Huggin Bear, are enjoy seeing the new arrivals suffer, as they did, and there’s no way they’re going to let them into their territory. No Way. Nope, if Buzz, Woody and the gang want to escape Sunnydale they’re gonna have to break out!

All your favourites are back : Tom Hanks and Woody Allen are at their vociferously animated best as leads, Woody and Buzz, respectively, Joan Cusack is Jessie, Wallace Shawn is Rex, John Ratzenberger is Hamm, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris are Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Jodi Benson is Barbie, and Blake Clark (replacing the late Jim Varney) is Slinky Dog.

And there’s a new bunch of characters introduced this time around, too : Ned Beatty (of Deliverance fame) voices the devilish Lotso, Michael Keaton is ideal as Ken, ex-007 Timothy Dalton is Mr Pricklepants, Kristen Schaal is Trixie, Jeff Garlin is Buttercup, Bonnie Hunt is Dolly, and Whoopi Goldberg is Stretch.

Toy Story 3 is the perfect movie. It’s flawless. The script plays vibrant, fresh and exciting. The jokes play to all ages. The characters haven’t tired or lost their appeal (unlike, say, Shrek - who has, let’s admit it, outworn his welcome now).  The gags and secondary characters aren’t throwaways. The message at the core of the film is delightful. The plot is fun.  The animation is brilliant… There’s a reason the film has a 99% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes (and is now, reportedly, the second best reviewed film of all time!) and that’s because, quite simply, it’s magnificent!

It’s sad to see the Toy Story come to its close, but what a close it is - a fitting close; there couldn’t really be any other end than the one the writers have come up with here, it works perfectly.  And hey! We’ll always have the series on DVD to return to at any time.